On Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, winners of the the 2nd Annual Tory C. Marandos Entrepreneurship Challenge were announced. The business plan competition was administered by Southern New Hampshire University’s Center for Women’s Business Advancement and ended with the top five finalists presenting to a five panel judge with the winners announced at an awards banquet that evening.

The $5,000 first place prize was awarded to Monica Leap from Studio 550. Studio 550 is an art studio based in Manchester, NH, that offers a variety of classes and opportunities to children and adults as well as art pieces in their gallery thereby supporting their mission to enrich the community with art and creativity.

The competition awarded a $2,000 second place prize to Roger Bailey of Wise Technology, Wise Technology has developed an amphibious ice rescue vehicle that is specifically designed for saves in unsafe environments. Wise Technology has separated itself from a traditional industry by incorporating innovation in the pursuit of saving more lives in less time.

The other three finalists recognized in the awards ceremony were Cream HR, a non-traditional human resource firm changing the way employees are hired.

Speaking Web, based out of Portsmouth, NH; a web-based sound technology company that focuses on increasing primary reading skills and introducing second languages to children early on in their education development.

Value e-Discovery the third finalist in the competition was awarded to Value e-Discovery, a software solutions company that assists in the litigation process of retrieving and securing data with the intent of using it as evidence in both civil and criminal legal cases.

To find more information about the winners and finalists of the 2nd Annual Tory C. Marandos Entrepreneurship Challenge please visit us on the web at www.cwbanh.com.

The Tory C. Marandos Entrepreneurship Challenge is named after late entrepreneur Tory Marandos. Tory Marandos was an entrepreneur and caring young man who life was abruptly ended. According to his family, friends, and co-workers, he went above and beyond for anyone who came into his life. . This year, a $2,000 second prize was awarded through the generous funding by the family of Jacques Thibodeau in his loving memory and in honor of his entrepreneurial spirit.

Eligibility for this competition was limited to new companies in New Hampshire that have been in business for three years or less. . Working as a platform for advancement, the Tory C. Marandos Entrepreneurship Challenge encourages all participants to continue in the pursuit of their business aspirations and to look for assistance in the New Hampshire community. To learn more about the finalists please visit the Center For Women’s Business Advancement website at cwbanh@snhu.edu

To register for the 3rd Annual Tory Marandos Business Plan Competition, visit cwbanh.com under the “News & Events” tab. For more information, contact MaryAnn Manoogian at (603) 629-4697, or via email at cwbanh@snhu.edu.

About the CWBA

The Center for Women’s Business Advancement (CWBA) offers networking and business technical assistance, training and support to a diverse mix of women entrepreneurs and business owners in New Hampshire, and enables them to create jobs, generate income, enhance skills, and build assets and community. The Center seeks to provide support to women and women-owned businesses in all phases of business development from start-up assistance through growth and maintenance of established businesses